United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Environmental Monitoring Systems
Laboratory
Research Triangle Park NC 27711
Research and Development
EPA-600/S3-83-050 Sept. 1983
4>EPA Project Summary
Love Canal Monitoring
Program—Final Report:
Volume 1
Robert Bradway and Rosemary Elersick
EPA, with the technical assistance of
GCA/Technology Division, conducted
the Love Canal Monitoring Program in
1980 to evaluate pollutant levels pres-
ent in the Love Canal Area of Niagara
Falls, New York. The Environmental
Monitoring Systems Laboratory (EMSL)/
Las Vegas, Environmental Monitoring
Systems Laboratory (EMSLJ/Research
Triangle Park, Environmental Monitor-
ing and Support Laboratory (EMSL)/
Cincinnati, Health Effects Research
Laboratory (HERL)XResearch Triangle
Park, and the Robert S. Kerr Environ-
mental Research Laboratory (ERL)/
Ada, Oklahoma, collaborated on the
design of the study. EMSL/RTP was
the coordinating EPA laboratory. GCA
Corporation managed the program and
ensured its timely completion through
the use of selected subcontractors.
The program involved a geotechnical
study and a multifaceted sampling and
analytical effort designed to detect and
quantify a variety of trace metals, vola-
tile organics, pesticides and other com-
pounds in soil, sediment, air, biota, and
water samples.
GCA describes its contract activity
in implementing the EPA-designed
monitoring program. This Project Sum-
mary was developed by the Environ-
mental Monitoring Systems Labora-
tory, Research Triangle Park, NC, to
briefly outline activities of the tech-
nical management project which is
fully documented in a separate report
of the same title (see Project Report
ordering information at back).
Introduction
On May 21,1980, the area of the Love
Canal declared as a National Emergency
was extended from those homes directly
surrounding the dump site to a more
general area defined by Bergholtz Creek
on the north, Cayuga Creek on the west
the Niagara River and Little River on the
south, and Williams Road on the east
GCA/Technology Division was issued a
task on July 9, 1 980 to assist EPA in
completing the Love Canal Monitoring
Program in a short time period. As re-
quired, field sampling was completed by
October 31, 1980.
EMSL/Las Vegas, EMSL/Research Tri-
angle Park, EMSL/Cincinnati, HERL/Re-
search Triangle Park, and ERL/Ada col-
laborated on the design of the study.
EMSL/RTP was the coordinating EPA
laboratory. Each of the EPA laboratories
provided technical advice and quality con-
trol activities and determined the validity
of the data generated.
Although the various EPA laboratories
had designed the overall study and pro-
vided detailed protocols for many of the
program elements, GCA coordinated and
implemented these procedures into a
manageable system. GCA organized its
efforts into seven technical areas; the
following paragraphs briefly outline activi-
ties in these areas.
Technical Program Areas
Health and Safety
A comprehensive safety and health plan
was developed that specified procedures
to help protect all Love Canal Monitoring
Project personnel. The complexity and
variety of chemical agents thought to be
present at the Love Canal made it neces-
sary to design a highly flexible yet con-
servative program of worker protection.
The advice of consultants and safety and
health guidelines provided by the Federal
Government and the State of New York
were used to design this program.
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Quality Assurance/Quality
Control (QA/QC)
GCA prepared and implemented a com-
prehensive 4-volume Quality Assurance
Plan incorporating EPA's QC requirements
and providing step-by-step sampling and
analysis procedures.
An important objective of the quality
control program was to emphasize the
importance of high quality work. GCA
accomplished this objective by: (1) in-
cluding general QA/QC requirements in
the Requests for Proposal (RFP) for all
subcontracted technical work and EPA's
specific internal QC requirements in each
analytical subcontract document, and (2)
requiring subcontractor QA Plans, QC
coordinators with expertise in each tech-
nical area, written sampling and analysis
procedures including QC requirements and
planned corrective actions, performance
evaluation and QC check samples for ana-
lytical work, and continuing communica-
tion between GCA and its subcontractors.
Sampling
The Love Canal area was divided intol 1
sampling areas to group individual dwell-
ings into homogeneous sets that could be
handled differently as the data might indi-
cate. The sampling area definitions were
based on physical boundaries, locations
with respect to the Canal, and surface
draining patterns.
The overall program design and the
specific sampling protocols were devel-
oped by EPA GCA acquired via competitive
bids a qualified subcontractor to collect
the multimedia samples for subsequent
analysis for volatile organics, semivolatile
organics, pesticides, inorganics and radio-
activity.
Air samples were collected in the living
area of homes, in basements, and out-
doors with Tenax, polyurethane foam
(PDF) and Hi-Vol samplers. Water sam-
ples were collected from drinking water
supplies, sewers, basement sumps, rivers,
streams, and ground water monitoring
wells. Soil and sediment samples were
collected throughout the study area. Also,
plant and animal samples were collected.
GCA managed the sampling and geo-
technical activities from a field office near
the Love Canal. All individuals involved
with the field operations were required to
report to the field office at the beginning
and end of each day as a management
control and to ensure that the latest tech-
nical and safety directives were given to all
participants.
Geotechnical
The geotechnical portion of the Love
Canal Study was designed principally by
the EPA's Robert S. Kerr Laboratory in
Ada, Oklahoma. It consisted of the follow-
ing activities:
• Geophysical measurements such as
ground penetrating radar, electro-
magnetic conductivity, and magne-
tometry to determine subsurface
characteristics.
• Hydrogeological investigation includ-
ing the installation of 1 74 monitor-
ing wells.
• Ground water modeling to predict
ground water movement in each
aquifer.
GCA obtained subcontractors to per-
form the analyses. Ada staff were on site to
provide technical advice during the field
program.
Analysis
The analytical protocols were provided
by EPA, and subcontractor laboratories
analyzed the collected samples. In addi-
tion, the subcontractor laboratories pre-
pared the Tenax and PUF cartridges and
the Tenax cartridge standards and spikes
used in the air monitoring program. The
HERL/RTP prepared the QC standards
and spikes for the PUF cartridges.
The listing of elements and compounds
to be analyzed in each type of sample
collected at Love Canal is presented in
Appendix A to GCA's Final Report. These
complete listings were developed by EPA
specifically for the Love Canal Monitoring
Program. In many cases, these listings
differ from the analyte listings for pollutant
classes (such as volatile organics or pesti-
cides) contained in Federal Register ana-
lytical methods.
Air samples were collected on Tenax for
analysis of volatile organic compounds, on
polyurethane foam (PUF) for analysis of
pesticides and related compounds, and on
Hi-Vol filters for metals analysis.
The water samples were analyzed for
volatile organics, semivolatile organics,
pesticides, metals, fluoride, and nitrate.
Ground water samples were also analyzed
for total organic carbon (TOC), total or-
ganic halides (TOX), pH, and conductivity.
Soil and sediment samples were ana-
lyzed for volatile organics, semivolatile
organics, pesticides and metals. Because
no widely-accepted methods existed for
the analysis of semivolatiles in these
media, a methods evaluation was con-
ducted on 48 samples to determine which
of three available procedures was most
suitable. The subcontractors used the
method determined by this evaluation foi
the remainder of the program.
Biota samples were analyzed for organic
and inorganic species on the Love Cana
Monitoring List Mice, worms, and cray-
fish were analyzed for semivolatile organics
and pesticides. Potatoes and oatmea
placed at the sampling sites were desig-
nated as "foodstuffs" and analyzed foi
volatile organic compounds. Metals were
measured in vegetation and in hair.
Sample Bank
GCA personnel set up and staffed the
sample bank and managed all aspects ol
sample handling, chain of custody pro-
cedures, and document control. The Sam-
ple Bank Manager served as GCA's Docu-
ment Control Officer onsite and directed
the dispensing of sample tags, field data
sheets and custody records, the accept-
ance of field samples and maintenance of
their chain of custody, and the shipment of
the field samples to the appropriate analyt-
ical laboratories. The field samples were
logged in a Master Lob Book and identified
with the analytical tags so that the ana-
lytical laboratories did not receive the
information on sample collection tags
(sampling location, blank, duplicate etc.).
This reidentification step enabled the in-
sertion of external QC samples in the
sample shipments.
Data Management
The purpose of the data management
system was to collect and store all data
from the Love Canal Monitoring Program
and to pr6vide basic reports of the moni-
toring results. A software system with the
capacity to handle and store more than
330,000 data records was designed and
implemented by GCA's data management
staff. Media-specific coding forms and
manuals were developed for sampling and
analysis data and supplied to the sub-
contractors for data reporting. Many spe-
cialized computer reports were provided
to EPA during the study; a tape of the final
validated data base was provided to
EPA/RTP.
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Robert Bradway and Rosemary Elersick are with GCA Corporation Technology
Division, Bedford. MA 01730.
Steven M. Bromberg is the EPA Project Officer (see below).
The complete report, entitled "Love Canal Monitoring Program—Final Report:
•JSSffi8^ " (Order No. PB 83-253 534; Cost: $ 19.00, subject to change) will be
available only from:
National Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, VA 22161
Telephone: 703-487-4650
The EPA Project Officer can be contacted at:
Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711
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